Caleb Lees

Caleb Lees is a dedicated collaborative pianist with deep roots at ISM, having previously served as the pianist for the ISM Youth Sinfonia from 2017 to 2019. As a Cincinnati native, Lees developed a lifelong passion for classical music through early piano studies, participation in local and international music festivals, and regular attendance at Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performances.

Officially joining the ISM staff in 2025 as Collaborative Pianist, Lees has been an active collaborator within the community since 2023. His collaborative scope is broad, supporting everyone from early Suzuki string students to advanced high schoolers and faculty members. Recent performances feature formidable repertoire, including cello sonatas of Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and Rachmaninoff. Though his higher education took a non-musical path, Lees maintains a rigorous, self-directed discipline at the keyboard to continually master challenging new works.

By profession, Lees is a research mathematician at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, holding mathematics degrees from Cedarville University (B.S.) and the University of Cincinnati (M.S.). The analytical rigor and inventive problem-solving required in his research directly inform his thoughtful, precise approach to music.

Beyond the keyboard, Lees is an active composer and arranger of original, sacred, and secular music. Faithfully leading Sunday worship at his local church, he also enjoys delving into advanced math literature and cycling the regional trails. At home in urban Dayton, Lees and his beloved wife, Annalyse, enjoy maintaining the traditional charm of their early 20th-century house.